The PCL defeated the IL, 3-0, on Wednesday evening at Buffalo's Coca-Cola Field. Round Rock right fielder Joey Butler, the only Express player in the game, entered late in the contest and struck out in his lone plate appearance.

AA: Frisco – OFF9-9, 4.0 GB

The ‘Riders were off on Wednesday. They travel to Corpus Christi to begin a four-game weekend series on Thursday evening.

Pelicans starting pitcher Luke Jackson turned in arguably his best start of the season on Wednesday, working a career-high seven innings. He limited the Dash to one run on four hits while walking one and striking out six.

Jackson began the game by retiring the first 11 batters he faced before running into some two-out trouble in the fourth inning. But he quickly settled back in and cruised through the seventh.

The 20-year-old righty has now made four starts since his promotion to High-A––22.0 ip, 24 h, 12 r (4.91 ERA), 8 bb, 17 k.

The Myrtle Beach offense provided plenty of support for Jackson in the early innings, as they plated six runs through three frames.

Third baseman Christian Villanueva (.274/.338/.414) added a solo home run in the seventh inning, his eighth round-tripper of the season.

Spokane dropped its sixth consecutive game on Wednesday, falling to 8-18 and eight games out of first place.

As a group, the Indians currently rank last in the eight-team Northwest League in batting average (.208), on-base percentage (.294), and slugging percentage (.306). The pitching staff is seventh with a 4.07 earned-run average.

Spokane's offense was held to one run on four hits during Wednesday's series opener, and they went 0-for-14 with men in scoring position while stranding 13 runners.

Starting pitcher Eric Brooks worked the first three innings, yielding two earned runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. Venezuelan righty Richard Alvarez followed by giving up two runs on five hits in three innings.

A pair of hard-throwing relievers, Jon Edwards (2 IP) and Carlos Melo (1 IP) finished the game with shutout ball. Edwards walked two but struck out three. Melo walked a pair in his inning but struck out the side.

The 21-year-old Melo features a fastball that touches up to 99 mph on occasion. That also comes with some control issues, as he's walked eight and fanned seven in his first seven innings.

Edwards, a converted outfielder, has yet to surrender an earned run in 5.2 innings for Spokane, but he's walked 11 while striking out eight.

Another rehabber, Hickory southpaw Greg Williams, pitched around two hits while fanning one in a blank top of the ninth.

Left fielder Nick Williams (.375/.412/.547) launched a solo home run––the first of his professional career––for his only hit in five trips. Ronald Guzman (2/5, 2B) singled and doubled while Luis Marte (2/4) singled twice.

Right fielder Nomar Mazara walked twice in four hitless plate appearances. Although he's just 12 for his first 57 (.211) this summer, Mazara has worked 16 walks with 23 strikeouts.

The club got plenty of production from the bottom of its order on Wednesday. Nine-hole hitting catcher Oliver Caraballo (1/3, 3B, BB) tripled and walked in four trips. He drove home two runs and had the team's only extra-base hits.

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